Pregnant And Rejected

Charta 192. -Lockdoen

Selene

I’m woken by the sounds of blaring alarms, the sound so shrill and horrible | slam a pillow over my face before I can stop to consider what the sound might mean. It’s not until my bedroom door swings open and a young servant girl pokes her head in, that I lower the plush implement. She pulls me out of bed and helps me into a robe while my head spins.

An alarm. I think hopefully, that’s bad for Blaise.

And what’s bad for Blaise can only be good for us. Luna answers slyly.

“What’s happened?” I ask the girl helping me.

“We‘re going into lockdown, miss.” the young servant an swers, breaking the silence her station usually demands.

“What do you mean, lockdown?” | question, “What’s hap pened?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never heard the alarms go off before, but the Alpha’s orders were unequivocal. The entire above ground is locking down, so it can’t be a fire or flood.” She rea sons, her voice hoarse from lack of use.

“Did you speak to him yourself?” | ask, trying to figure out exactly what’s going on. If it’s just a lockdown and he doesn’t know where I am, I might be able to get away. But if she was specifically sent to retrieve me, I probably can’t escape with out endangering her.

com “No.” She shakes her head, “This is just standard proce

dure. I’m taking you to one of the safe rooms.”

I cry, pulling her to

The girl replies

making a break for the dungeons. If the city is on lock down all the guards will be called away to help, and I’m always strongest first thing in the morning. This could be my chance to free myself, Bastien and my father at once. Helene’s voice rings in my ears, urging me to be patient, but only a fool

don’t understand.” Clara murmurs in

don’t want to get you in trouble and I don’t know what you might risk by running,

“I don’t know what’s going on right now, but I guarantee Blaise and his

Clara whimpers, “I have a

beg, tak ing her by the shoulders.

park, but you can’t go out there!” She insists, “the city might be

“Please, promise me you

goes sort of limp, her jaw slackens, and she repeats, “I

praise, dashing out of

gencies, but Blaise hasn’t trusted me enough to tell me about any such precautions in his mansion, so I dart down the halls, hugging the walls and praying I

my scent is leaving a trail behind me and anyone seeking to find me will be able to follow it with little difficulty. I have to move fast, even if it means risking expos ing

to the guard house beside the front courtyard. I have to pause at every other corner I reach,

into the shadows as I run, concealing my presence in the dim light of early morning and blinding the few guards I do encounter. The rising sun blinds me when I fi nally break out into the fresh air, feeling a rush of exhilaration to think I’m finally out of the Alpha’s palace. It almost feels too easy, but I

the mansion is littered with fallen shifters, and I realize my hopes must be correct. Someone is attacking the Calypso leadership, and I doubt it’s another pack. I feel a brief moment of hesitation as I worry I might be mistaken for one of

in surprise. Struggling to escape the man holding me, I kick and claw and his beefy arms, so preoccupied with

of guards circling myself and my captor. There at their center, is Blaise, watching me with the sort of twisted hunger he always gets when he comes to my

into my stomach, plummeting so quickly! feel sure I’m going to be sick. No. I think desperately, no, no, no. He

But clearly he can.